For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. 2 Corinthians 7:10-11

 

Regret can be a powerful influence in our lives. It’s easy to hold onto regret over mistakes, missed opportunities, losses, and poor judgment.

 

A journalist once asked people to share their greatest regrets. The answers varied from wishful thinking to heart-wrenching grief: failing to reconcile with a parent before they died, not speaking up about sexual abuse, a mistake resulting in the death of a child.

 

What do we do with these burdens, with the parts of our stories we wish we could change? Many people get stuck living in the fantasy of an alternative reality, longing for a different life. Others feel stuck and disqualified by their failures.

 

The good news is that God wants to meet us right here and now in our current reality. We can’t change the past, but today, Jesus offers us hope, forgiveness, and a new story. Scripture says, “For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death” (2 Corinthians 7:10-11).

 

The Bible book of 2 Corinthians goes on to explain how godly sorrow over our sins and mistakes should result in longing and eagerness to change and right the wrong. However, it’s not meant to result in hopelessness. God offers you forgiveness, because His love and power can restore even the most broken of stories. As we turn from sin and give God our mistakes, intentional and unintentional, new hope is ours.

 

If you’re stuck in patterns of hopelessness and regret, bring your story to Jesus today.